Chapter 9: The Changing South

Mobile is part of the Changing South, more specifically the Southern Coastlands described in the next chapter. Growing up a Southerner, I can attest to the rich culture and the pride Southerners feel about their region. Although there is an overall general “southern pride,” there is much diversity within the Southern region. When I think of the South, I think of the states Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas and Virginia are also considered part of the region, but ask any Mobilian or Alabamian and they will tell you differently. I attribute this to the strong differences between the sub-regions. Although there are differences between Mobile in the Southern Coastlands and say Atlanta in the Piedmont region, we all share commonality and pride in being Southern.

Alabama State Flag

When one thinks of the Old South, plantations dominate public thought. Crops like short staple cotton did well in Mobile - in fact, I had a cotton field across the street from my house growing up - but other southern crop staples like indigo, tobacco and sugar cane did not do well. These plantations were almost always located along rivers so they could transport the raw cotton faster and more cost effectively. The Alabama River was heavily used as it flowed into the port of Mobile. From Mobile, the cotton was shipped to New England and European textile factories.

Oakleigh Mansion, a famous plantation house in Mobile



Vessel License for the Clotilde, circa 1855



Plantations and the South cannot be discussed without mentioning slaves. Because large-scale plantation production required a large amount of labor, the number of slaves in the state grew from almost 48,000 in 1820, to 435,000 in 1860. Most of these slaves worked in cotton production. Although there were plantations in Mobile, the city is more known for being the port from which many of the slaves came through and was the slave trading capital of the state until 1850. In fact, the last known shipment of slaves was brought to Mobile illegally in 1860, more than 50 years after the slave trade had been declared illegal.

Sources:
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1832
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_(AL)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africatown

Chapter 8: Appalachia and Ozarks

At first glance, Appalachia and the South have similar characteristics. Both have good land for agricultural purposes, but Appalachian land is better suited for smaller farming. Both had slower development of manufacturing, but Mobile’s urban development has been more successful than most of Appalachia. While Mobile had many immigrants including France, Britain and Spain at the onset, Appalachia was settled mostly by the Germans and Scots-Irish, establishing its Anglo-Saxon population that endures to this day.
Appalachia had good land for small-scale farming, but poorly suited for large-scale agriculture compared to land in the South. This region continued to focus on agriculture long after manufacturing and urban living enveloped the rest of the country. Appalachia had few products to sell and discouraged development. In many small Appalachian counties the black populations are very small. Few new immigrants ever settled here because of little urban development, no antebellum plantation economy like the South and had limited agricultural land. Appalachia remained unchanged in a nation where immigration, education and commerce were the norm.

Tennessee farm

Like Mobile, Appalachia is mostly Protestant, but is mostly Anglo-Saxon and white, whereas Mobile is about half white and half black, as mentioned in a previous post. In fact, Appalachia is the nation’s largest predominantly white, low-income region according to the book. Like Mobile, the people of Appalachia are conservative both politically and religiously. Appalachia is also included in the Bible Belt with Mobile. Although Mobile and Alabama as a state have roots in the Democratic party, the city and state are now red states. Appalachia differs from the South in that the region’s roots have always been solid with the Republican party.

Results from the 2000 Presidential Election.  Appalachia and Ozark states (Missouri, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, and parts of Georgia and Alabama) are all red states.

When one thinks of the people of Alabama and the South, the term “redneck” is often used to stereotype its people. Appalachia also experiences a similar stereotype in the word “hillbilly.” Because of their isolation and poor economic opportunities, people of the Appalachian region have often been considered rural. Their people tended to stay in the same place they were born and their increasing conservative religious beliefs, furthered this stereotype. Today, most of this isolation is gone, but many of the values - and stereotypes - endure.

Chapter 7: The Bypassed East

Red Snapper

Largemouth Bass

Chapter 7 discussed the Bypassed East, a part of the country that is much different than the Southeast where Mobile is located. Although the Appalachian Mountain chain begins in northern Alabama and stretches up to the Bypassed East, the “northern Appalachians’ structure bears little surface resemblance to the southern Appalachians,” according to the book. This region is also very cold and though it has a lot of precipitation like Mobile, the rocky soil and hilly terrain inhibits farming, unlike Mobile’s rich agricultural fields. The continental shelf of the Bypassed East however, sees much growth. Because its waters are shallow, it allows the sun to penetrate the waters, allowing for plankton growth. Because plankton is a basic source of food for fish, cod and halibut - cold water fish - were abundant. Fishing is still important to the region, but pollution and over fishing have challenged the industry. The fishing industry is very important to Mobile and Mobile has a rich history of diversity in its freshwater and saltwater locations in river systems, lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. The official freshwater fish of Alabama is the Largemouth Bass, but many other species of freshwater fish are equally sought. These species include the spotted bass, crappie, brim, stripe and catfish. The official saltwater fish of Alabama is the Tarpon, but many other species are popular including red snapper, flounder, sailfish, grouper and amber jack. The fisheries in Alabama are thriving, but the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year definitely put them in peril. The shrimp and oyster industry have suffered because of this pollution and I fear that the Gulf will never be the same again.

Oil washed ashore at Orange Beach

A dolphin my friend pulled from the Gulf that succumbed to the oil

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_in_Alabama

Chapter 5: The North American Manufacturing Core

The USS Independence at Austal USA on Mobile River

Although Mobile is not included in North America’s Manufacturing Core and has mostly been considered a port city, it has become known for manufacturing in recent years. Aerospace, retail, services, construction, medicine, and manufacturing are Mobile's major industries. After experiencing economic decline for several decades, Mobile's economy began to rebound in the late 1980s. Between 1993 and 2003 13,983 new jobs were created as 87 new companies were founded and 399 existing companies were expanded. 1,700 new jobs were created from February 2003 to February 2004. Mobile's Alabama State Docks underwent the largest expansion in its history by expanding its container processing and storage facility and increasing container storage at the docks by over 1,000% at a cost of over $300 million, thus positioning Mobile for rapid container processing growth. As of 2008, the Port of Mobile was the 9th largest by tonnage in the United States. In 2005 Austal USA, based in Mobile, expanded their production facility for US defense and commercial aluminum shipbuilding. Austal announced in November 2010, upon winning another multi billion dollar defense contract, it will yet again expand its facilities in downtown, adding over 2,200 jobs. In 2007, German steel manufacturer ThyssenKrupp announced plans for a $4.65 billion steel mill, now in production. It is the largest steel plant in the world with over 1,200 acres under roof at 7.7 million square feet. The Brookley Complex, also known as the Mobile Downtown Airport, is an industrial complex and airport located 3 miles south of the central business district of the city. It is currently the largest industrial and transportation complex in the region with over 100 companies, many of which are aerospace, and 4000 employees on 1,700 acres. Brookley includes the largest private employer in Mobile County, Mobile Aerospace Engineering, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,_Alabama#Economy
　

Chapter 4: Megalopolis

While Mobile can certainly not be considered as a part of the Megalopolis or even a large, metropolitan city, it is the 3rd largest city in Alabama. Many of the characteristics of what made cities in the megalopolis like NYC and Boston so big can also be attributed to the reason Mobile became one of Alabama's largest cities.  As mentioned previously, Mobile's proximity to rivers and the Gulf of Mexico set it up as a major port for Alabama and the South, bringing money and business into the city's coffers. The influx of people that forced land size to increase mentioned in our book also happened in Mobile in the late 1900s, when the city's square mileage tripled.  Although the population grew, there have been no real prolems with congestion due to the influx of people (though it's hard to compare once you've experienced the worst traffic in the WORLD living here!).

In the Megalopolis, skyscrapers and tall building s are the norm, but in Alabama, not so much. Although these buildings are few and far between, Mobile is actually home to the tallest building in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast, save Houston. The RSA Tower in downtown Mobile, began construction in 2003. It now houses 25 office floors, 3 lobby floors, 4 hotel floors, and 1 service floor, together with 20 elevators and 570,000 square feet (52,955 m2) of column-free floorspace.[1] The lighted crown is visible from 30 miles (48 km) away along Mobile Bay on a clear night.[2]

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_Battle_House_Tower

Chapter 3: Foundations of Human Activity

Chapter 3 discusses the native peoples of different regions and the pattern of different nationalities of people affected settlement. One need only research the derivation of the name Mobile to learn that this word is a Choctaw Indian word Mauvilla meaning "paddler." Many Native American influences can be seen in Mobile and the state of Alabama, from the names of rivers and cities like Mobile and Tuscaloosa, to the reservations that dot the area like the Creek reservation in Atmore where my great grandfather was a chief.  Upon exploration in the 1500s, Spanish explorers discovered many native tribes in the area, some of whom burned down their villages and fled upon discovery.

As mentioned in a previous post, Mobile has flown six flags, 3 of which were foreign - France, Britain and Spain. The early to mid 1700s saw Mobile under French rule, serving as the capital of the first Feench colony of Louisiana, founded by the brothers Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste le Moyne.  After moving the capital to Biloxi, Mobile became a trading post between the Indians and French. This time period also saw the first arrival of slaves from Africa.  From 1763-1776, Mobile was a colony of the British called West Florida. After the Revolutionary War, Mobile was captured by Spain and controlled by them for 30 years until recaptured by American forces in 1813.

The Industrial Revolution brought an influx of people into the city and this is the era when Mobile's ship building and ports began to take off. The latter part of the 1900s, Mobile saw it's square mileage triple because of population growth. Today, the county of Mobile has a population of 404,698 with 193,171 living inside the city itself, making Mobile the third largest city in Alabama. Eighty-one percent of the city is urban and 19% is rural.

This chapter also discusses religion. While I found no specific demographics for Mobile, I did find some on the state and I can't imagine that they are much different. Considered part of the "Bible Belt," it is no wonder that 84% of Mobilians consider themselves Christian (63% Protestant and 37% Baptist). Catholics are the next largest group represented at 13%.

Dauphin Way Baptist Church - one of the biggest in Mobile County

Chapter 2: Geographic Patterns of the Physical Environment

Mobile is located in the Gulf Atlantic Coastal Plain that stretches from Cape Cod to Florida and west to the Texas Gulf Coast. The Mississippi River Delta is a prominent feature of this region. Mobile is located more specifically in the East Gulf Coastal Plain exoregion. The East Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion encompasses portions of five states (Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana) and over 42 million acres from the southwestern portion of Georgia across the Florida Panhandle and west to the southeastern portion of Louisiana. Physically characterized by subtle topography, soils derived primarily from unconsolidated sands, silts, and clays transported to the ecoregion by the weathering of the Appalachian Mountains, the ecoregion has a wide range of land forms. These range from sandhills and rolling longleaf pine-dominated uplands to pine flatwoods and savannas, seepage bogs, bottomland hardwood forests, barrier islands and dune systems, and estuaries. The Southeast Coastal Plain ecoregions also share other features, including: a high percentage of land area in wetlands, a dominant role of frequent fire over the majority of the landscape, a diversity of river and stream systems, limited but important karst areas, diverse estuarine and tidal systems and significant large scale disturbance events, such as hurricanes.

Mobile County agriculture is very diverse with greenhouse, nursery, and sod ranked number one in the state and pecan production ranked number two. Other crops grown include cotton, peanuts, soybean, corn, fruits and vegetables, livestock and forage. According to the 2007 census of Agriculture, Mobile County has 876 farms on 113,653 acres with an average farm size of 130 acres. Farm acreage represents 14.4 percent of the total 789,120 acres in Mobile County. Agriculture continues to make a significant contribution to the county economy.


With a latitude and longitude of 30 41’ 39” N / 88 2’ 35” W, Mobile has a humid, subtropical climate, its weather is often hot and humid! Summer months average in the 90s, which makes the winter months mild, averaging in the 50s. Mobile is most known for its rain, however, and is often the wettest city in the country. With yearly rain averages of 66.3 inches, it’s really no wonder the humidity is often 100%!

Hurricane Ivan 2004

In North America, the East Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion is one of the true hotspots of biodiversity and endemism. Part of the reason for this is that the ecoregion has never been glaciated, and has been continuously occupied by plants and animals since the Cretaceous, giving ample time for the evolution of narrow endemic species. Many species, particularly vascular plants, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes occur only in this ecoregion, and many of those are even more narrowly limited within the ecoregion.
The dominant ecological drivers of the terrestrial systems are soils (texture and chemistry), fire frequency, and hydrology. Habitats in the East Gulf Coastal Plain include barrier island systems with annual-dominated beaches, maritime grasslands and scrub, maritime shrub hammocks, and evergreen forests (both broadleaf and needleleaf). These grade through salt marshes to productive estuaries. Inland, longleaf pine woodlands are dominant over most of the landscape, on upland and wetland sites and a wide variety of soils. These pinelands (sandhills, clayhills, flatwoods, and savannas) support a tremendous diversity of plant and animal species; most of them specialized to these systems. For instance, the Southeast Outer Coastal Plain as a whole supports about 1,500 endemic vascular plant species, most of them limited to pineland habitats. Embedded in these pinelands, specialized patch communities such as seepage bogs, treeless“savannas” and “prairies”, and seasonally flooded depression ponds provide rich habitat for plants, amphibians, and invertebrates. Imperiled plant species are concentrated in fire-maintained pinelands (wetland and upland), associated seepage bogs and upland depression wetlands, and barrier island communities. While many imperiled animal species also occur in these communities, there are also significant concentrations in aquatic and bottomland systems, as well as in karstlands.

Sources:　
http://www.landscope.org/explore/natural_geographies/ecoregions/East%20Gulf%20Coastal%20Plain/
http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/
http://www.landscope.org/explore/natural_geographies/ecoregions/East%20Gulf%20Coastal%20Plain/

Chapter 1: Regions & Themes

While Alabama is located in the Southern region, Mobile (pronounced moh-BEEL), because of its proximity to the Gulf Coast, is located in the Southern Coastlands region. Mobile is often referred to as the City of Six Flags, as the French, British, Spanish, US, Confederate and Alabama flags have all been flown here. Because several rivers converge in the city to release into the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile, is the only port city in Alabama. Its location at the juncture of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay on the northern Gulf of Mexico has played a vital role in the economic health of the city, beginning as a key trading center between the French and Native Americans. It is now the 9^th largest port in the United States. This proximity to tributaries and waterways also serves to make Mobile one of the most humid cities in the country and also makes Mobile one of the wettest cities with more than 5 feet of precipitation a year.



Mobile Bay

 The economy of Mobile is centered around aerospace, retail, construction, medicine and manufacturing. Being a port city, the Alabama State Docks and Austal USA, a production facility for US defense and commercial aluminum shipbuilding provide much of the city’s income. Bayou La Batre, a coastal community figured in to Mobile County, offers, counts seafood as its major industry and is the “Seafood Capital of Alabama,” processing seafood - mostly shrimp, crabs, and oysters - from the Gulf as well as from other states.



West Indies Salad

 
 


Gumbo

 Mobile has a population of 193,171. Demographic statistics show that 48.9% African-American, 45.9% Caucasian, 2% Asian and 3.2% Other make up this population. Because of the various national flags that have flown in Mobile, its culture is rich with French and Spanish influences that can be seen from the annual celebration of Mardi Gras - yes, Mobile is the home of Mardi Gras and we had it before New Orleans! - to the delicious food you can find in any mom-and-pop restaurant or Southern home, and the architecture of the buildings on Dauphin St. downtown and the antebellum homes that line Government St.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,_Alabama

http://www.city-data.com/

http://www.faeriekeeper.net/mobile.htm



Introduction

Welcome to my page about my hometown of Mobile, AL.  If you have ever been down South, it surely made an impression on you and if you haven't, hopefully my page will familiarize you with the beauty and culture of my home state.  Enjoy, y'all!

Photo courtesy of: http://www.datarecoverylabs.com/alabama-data-recovery-raid.html